Adapted from Rustic European Bread from Your Bread Machine
~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Step One - The Bread Machine Poolish
The day before your wish to bake the bread, add the following to the bowl of your bread machine:
3/4 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon instant rising yeast
1/2 cup room temperature water - preferably non-chorinated
Process on the dough setting. Or, if you don't have a bread machine, beat the mixture by hand with 100 strokes. Leave in the bread machine with the lid down for 4-6 hours (or cover the bowl if mixed by hand)